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Hello everyone . .... My question to all IFGians is that which dslr is best for wildlife photography for beginners . I am a newbie to photography but have keen interest. My budget is about 35k for a body. Please provide your valuable advice on it..

In my opinion both Nikon and Canon make good dslr it is generally the personal preference one exerts on these two brands, I am a Canon guy so I generally prefer and would advocate a Canon dslr but since you are saying you are beginner in wildlife photography I would suggest you IMHO the budget you have set of 35k you should go for Canon powershot SX60 which is actually not a dslr but a good advanced compact camera with good zoom features, you can polish your skills in it and then maybe keep it as backup camera and proceed for a dslr the reason I am suggesting you this cam is as in wildlife photography two things are of utmost paramount is the distance of the subject and speed, distance can be countered with good zoom range and speed can be countered with a flexible ISO range which the Canon powershot SX60 can amply provide. If you wanna go for only dslr then I would suggest you expand your budget as for wildlife photography you would definitely need a telephoto zoom lens which would generally start say from upwards of 50k and to team up with a dslr you can go for Canon 1200D or Canon 600D for which you will have to stretch you budget say Upto 80-90k. Starting photography with an advanced compact camera is also a real good option.

I am a hardcore Canon Singh saab. Got my education with canon approx 10 years back and since then have shot around 30000 pics of Landscape photography.

I can tell you this after handling most of canons DSLR. There is little difference between the cameras when it comes to image quality. The difference between the expensive and cheap cameras is primarily the built quality and speed of focus courtesy a faster processor. Some of the high end ones have dual processors.

As the camera is just the mechanical part of it, the quality of images would be greatly depended on the lenses used. Do not use any lens which has beyond a 5 x magnification as there would be too many elements causing relatively low quality pics.

While this would depend on what kind of wildlife photography you do, if you looking at shooting tigers and lions in the open you may need a tele converter. This again would slow down the speed of focus. Therefore would suggest looking at lens speed of 2.8 or lower.

While any of this would be difficult at your price point do look at a more generous budget. The 7D Mark 2 is on my agenda once its launched next month.

Canon's (or Nikon's - I am one more Canon guy!) cheapest models of DSLR with kit lens (18-55 mm) would eat up most of your budget. For wildlife you would need higher zooms. I have seen bird photographers with lenses like miniature bazookas! Some of the lenses cost > 10 lacs INR! Yeah, I said 10 lacs - check out flipkart or amazon.

I have a Canon EOS 500 D - with the kit lens it cost me 34 K 4 years ago. Plus I got a 55-250 lens for another 12 K. Since then I have added other lenses, but will keep the body as long as it lasts.

I would second Ramandeep's opinion - go for a high end mega zoom P&S with a manual option. And save every paisa you can........

EssDee__________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a polity, each citizen is to possess his own arms, which are not supplied or owned by the state. — Aristotle

Wildlife photography is a costly affair!!I started out with Canon 1100D & canon 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II lens. I have taken few pretty amazing pics with the same combo. But very soon graduated to Canon 60D body and Sigma 150-500mm lens. in case of DSLRs Lenses are more important then the camera. With time your camera might depreciate in value but a good lens won't! So, I would advice you to buy the best lens that your budget permits. For taking wildlife photographs you need to have long lenses..It's hard to get close to wild animals and birds. No bird photographer will ever complain about having too much focal length. Focal length of 250mm is the barest minimum for wildlife photography. More the merrier. Lenses are pretty good about "you get what you pay for". Canon 'L' series lenses which are rugged and weather sealed are the first choice for wildlife photographers around the world but they cost in lakhs!

If I were you with a budget of Rs 35k for camera body + lens then I would have bought Canon 1200D + 18-55mm + 55-250mm lens combo (priced @ Rs26000 on flipkart) or Canon 1200D+18-55mm lens + Canon-EF-75-300mm-f-4-5.6-III-USM. With 1.6x crop factor of Canon 1200D APS C sensor the maximum effective focal length would be around 400mm & 480mm for canon 55-250mm & 75-300mm lens respectively! Adequate for capturing images of mammals and occasionally birds. I would have spent the remaining amount (Rs9k) on a monopod+ball head which is equally important for taking sharp wildlife images!!

maverick786us wrote:How good is Canon 70D for this kind of photography? Is the premium worth?

Canon 70D is a very good semi-pro DSLR. It's Magnesium alloy rugged and weather sealed body along with 19AF points & 7 fps rate is great for taking wildlife pics in action. Even birds in flight pictures which is considered one of the most difficult task to master is totally doable with this camera. Wifi connectivity for easy file transfer! Overall a great camera for semi-pro photographers. Match it up with Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens and you have a rocking wildlife DSLR-Lens combo

better start with a bridge camera like a Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR, Sony DSC-HX400V or Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 and these are keepers... and produce amazing images.without breaking the bank you will have the reach required for wildlife but the piddly sensors are going the limit the image quality( low signal to noise ratio) and as it is those lenses are diffraction limited at around F5.6 so you wont get the image quality of canon 1D paired with 'L' lens, but you can still brag about Zeiss, Leica or Fujinon lens.They are good tools for street and candid photography as they are discreet, inconspicuous and don't shout PRO.wildlife photography is rewarding if you master the field craft and patience is a given.hope it helps.

Raghvendrasingh wrote:Hello everyone . ....My question to all IFGians is that which dslr is best for wildlife photography for beginners . I am a newbie to photography but have keen interest. My budget is about 35k for a body. Please provide your valuable advice on it..

Ok guys, let me introduce a wildcard.I know the title is best "DSLR", but has anyone tried a mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor (same sized sensor as most DSLRs being described above. I used to have a Nikon D 7000, a classic. Then switched to a Fuji XE-1; there is absolutely no turning back. One third the weight and size of a DSLR, fitted 50 to 230 lens and one is equipped to walk in search of game. Spectacular results at less weight, price.Check out my pics at

Awesome images captured "to convey the moment" Each frame tells a story - immaculate compositions....After seeing them, I was reminded of what Henri Cartier Bresson had once said....."You must see a picture before you photograph it"Briha